Girls und Allied Forces
by USAthroughout
Summary: After receiving another win from the Saunders, the girls took their tank for a night ride, but Mako, still tired, accidentally drove off of the Zuikaku, sending them back to the European theatre of WWII and was caught by U.S. forces. One of them recognized the girls' situation and the girls rely on him to get home. Can it be done? Romance included, harem possible. Now rated M.
1. Back in Time

**Disclaimer: I do not own Girls und Panzer, this is made for entertainment purposes only.**

The Oorai crew were having another Sensha-dō against the Saunders with the latter determined to avenge their loss, though the competition remains friendly. Knowing what both teams are capable of, Kay decides that despite their number superiority, the M4 Shermans will divide into two teams for an ambush strategy within their terrain, which is a thick forest. Much to her team's surprise, Kay ordered half of the tanks to shoot on the soft parts of the soil. Alisa fails to understand her strategy and questioned her.

"Wait, why are you giving us the order to shoot on the soil? The ammunition should be for the Ooarai crew only."

"Considering the Shermans' thin armor, it is no match against the Ooarai crew's stronger tanks, especially the Panzer IV commanded by the Anglerfish team, especially since the upgraded version was able to beat Maho's Tiger I as well as the Tiger from the Leopon team. The soil is wet enough to create foxholes to better cover our weaker frontal and side armor as long as the team are unable to attack behind us. The other team will be act as a decoy to lure enemy tanks near the foxholes, that is if the smoke does not attract them first."

"So we are going to create an ambush using the terrain in our favor. Plus, with the Sherman's high speed, we should be able to get out of the foxholes fast enough to prevent them from coming behind us."

"Exactly, although from this point, it is still difficult to penetrate the lower hull of the tanks, so we need the decoys to lure them to the side. We need four foxholes in a square and have the tanks in the front row cover their frontal hull from the tree line and aim their turrets straight in case we failed to lead the Oorai crew to the side, while the back row covers their frontal hull from behind aim their turrets diagonally. This way, our rear armor will be protected unless they are able to drive over the turrets."

"Understood." Alisa did as told and the tanks started firing on the wet soil.

After several rounds of aiming at the same spots, the four foxholes were created and the four tanks enter it while Kay's M4A1 Sherman tank and Naomi's Firefly head back as a last line of defense, expecting the decoys to get behind the tree line and meet up with them behind the foxholes. Elsewhere in the plain fields not too far from their area, the Oorai crew continued their search for the Saunders' tanks.

"Have you spotted any Shermans in the area?" Miho asked.

"I haven't. Geez, what could they be doing? We haven't seen a Sherman tank in either the trees or the plains, where could they be!?" Anzu answers in an irritated manner in her Hetzer.

"I don't know, but something tells me that they might be planning to ambush us. Prepare to divide."

Before Miho's orders could be carried out, Duck Team's Type 89 I-Go was suddenly hit by a tank shell, causing the white flag to emerge for it, knocking the team out of the match. Miho immediately turns around to see three M4 Sherman tanks attacking from the tree line shooting at them.

"Four M4 Shermans spotted at the tree line in the West! Turn left!"

The tanks started turning left in order to face the Sherman tanks. One Sherman fired at the Panzer's frontal, but to no effect.

"Hippo Team! Rabbit Team! Go around the enemy tanks and flank them!" Miho ordered.

"Hai!" Erwin and Azusa responded and have their tanks enter into the trees.

Hana then spotted the Sherman aiming directly right at their tank again. "Nishizumi-san, one of the Shermans is directly in front of us!"

"Hai! Fire!"

Yukari immediately loads the shell and the Panzer fires towards the Sherman's weaker frontal hull, causing the white flag to come out.

"They seem to have taken the bait! Everyone, fall back!" Kay ordered.

The three remaining Shermans stopped firing and started to fall back in reverse.

"Hmm? The M4 Shermans are retreating!" Yukari yelled.

"They are trying to lure us into a trap, we best stay out here."

"But Hippo Team and Rabbit Team went in with them!" Saori pointed out.

Realizing her mistake, Miho immediately establishes contact with the two teams. "Saunders team is using a trap! Get back behind the tree line immediately!"

"We can't! They have launched smoke rounds at us! We can't see a thing!" Azusa responded.

"We have also lost track of the Shermans as well! They are out of our line of sight!"

Miho then starts seeing smoke coming out of the trees. Realizing that the team could still use the smoke as an advantage, Miho decides to head inside.

"If they are using smoke, it means that they can't see us as well. They are using the smoke as an illusion as if it covers the entire area, but there is only enough smoke to cover one part of it. As soon as we enter into the trees, we will disburse away from the smoke until it clears up."

"Understood!" All teams outside responded as they enter the forest.

As the Oorai team enters the thick forest, they immediately disburse to get away from the smoke, resulting in the exposure of one of the Shermans out of the area by the Anglerfish team. The Sherman immediately tries to fire at the Panzer, but the 75mm short-barreled gun was no match for the Panzer's 80mm frontal armor and the shell bounced off with no damage taken to the tank. The Panzer then fires at the Sherman, resulting in another white flag from the Sherman. Anzu's team was also successful in hitting the rear armor of another Sherman after spotting it from the rear while navigating though the visible areas.

"Another Sherman taken out!" Anzu yelled proudly.

"But that still leaves one more of the decoy tanks. If they are trying to lure us here, that means that are definitely more enemy tanks in this area. Everyone, be careful of your surroundings."

"Roger." Everyone responded.

"Rabbit, are all of you alright!? Can you answer!?" Miho tries once again to get in touch with Rabbit Team.

[BOOM!]

A tank shot was heard very close by.

[We've been hit! We're out!]

Azusa's voice was heard in the Panzer's radio.

[We can't see how many yet due to the smoke, but a couple of M4 Shermans have made foxholes, protecting their frontal and side armor! I am going to see if I can hit them in the rear!]

Erwin's voice was heard next.

"Be careful! The smoke is starting to clear, but we don't know where the rest of the tanks are!"

[No need to worry about me! You should watch out for yourself as well!]

"Understood! We will meet when the smoke clears!"

* * *

Erwin is currently leading her StuG III behind the foxhole. As they pass, her co-commander, Caesar, notices the approaching Sherman in the front.

"Erwin, M4 Sherman in the front!"

"I knew they were planning something like this! Load and aim at the front!"

"Hai!" Caesar immediately loads the shell and was immediately given the order to fire before the Sherman could.

[Boom!] The tank shell hit the Sherman, resulting in another white flag.

"They were planning to have us focused on the Sherman within the foxhole so another Sherman could ambush us with our turret aiming at the other one." Erwin deduced.

"Caesar, load another round and aim for the Sherman at the foxhole!"

"Hai!"

Just as Caesar was about to load another round, the tank's gunner, Saemonza, notices another tank coming from the other side of their tank. Much to her dismay, it was the Saunders' Flag tank, the M4A1 Sherman with a 76mm gun commanded by Alisa.

"Caesar! Flag tank by our right!"

"WHAT!?" Erwin lost her composure.

It was too late as the Sherman fired its 76mm gun directly at the StuG III's weak side armor. They suddenly felt the force of an explosion on their tank. After the smoke cleared, the white flag has risen above their tank.

"Guh! We've been hit!"

* * *

After receiving word the Hippo's team is out, Miho begins to worry of their situation as both Rabbit Team and Duck Team have also been taken out while four M4 Shermans remain along with their flag tank and the Sherman Firefly, outnumbering Ooarai's remaining tanks, consisting only of the Anglerfish Team, Turtle Team, Mallard Team, Anteater Team and Leopon Team.

[BOOM!]

Another explosion was heard close by as the smoke finally clears.

[Gah! We're out!]

"Anzu!? What happened!?"

[One of the Shermans buried underneath the foxhole hit us before we can verify its position!]

"They are using the foxholes not only to protect themselves, but to keep low so our reaction time is slower. We have to aim our turret lower in case we encounter any more Shermans hiding in the foxholes."

[We're out! We've been hit by the Firefly!]

From the sound of the voice, Nekota, the commander of the Anteater Team, which operates a Japanese Type 3 Chi-Nu, has been taken out, leaving the Ooarai crew with only three tanks left.

"We have to get away from the area! They have complete advantage over us in this environment!" Miho ordered.

"Nishizumi-san, an occupied foxhole has been spotted in the front! 500 meters!" Hana yelled.

"The gun is loaded!" Yukari shouted.

"Understood! Fire!"

Thanks to Miho's quick reaction time and the fact that the turret is already in position, the Panzer was able to fire its shell though not before the Sherman was also able to fire. Luckily, due to desperation, the tank shell from the Sherman was unintentionally aimed at the Panzer's frontal armor and the shell bounced off the tank with no damage taken while the Sherman is taken out. Seeing the other three tanks in the square, the Panzer fires another shot at the rear armor of the tank behind the disabled one while the other two Shermans retreat.

"Miho, the tanks seem to be only expecting a frontal assault. We have to get out of the forest and enter it from behind." Mako suggested.

"Alright, Mallard, we need you to keep the other tanks busy while me and Leopon enter from behind the forest."

[Understood! Oh, and we have already taken out one of the retreating Shermans! I will keep the remaining three busy!]

Midoriko answered from her tank, the heavy French Char B1 bis. As the Anglerfish Team and Turtle Team get out of the forest, the Mallard Team proceeds, looking for the rest of the Shermans.

[Mallard, we've managed to get out of the forest safely and are coming around!]

Miho's voice was heard from the radio.

"Understood. So far, we have no sight of other Sherman tanks. We might be-!"

Before Midoriko could continue, their tank was suddenly hit and already taken out.

"We've been attacked! From where the tank was hit, it was the Firefly! We're out!"

* * *

With all other teams lost except for Anglerfish and Leopon, Miho still stuck with her plan to get the Panzer inside from the other side of the forest, but orders the Leopon team to get inside.

"We need one of us to get behind the forest in order for them to expose themselves. Leon, I need you to flank right into the forest to provide a distraction."

"Understood! We should be strong enough to handle a shell from the Sherman Firefly if its long distance. Hopefully it doesn't get behind me!"

With Nakajima, the commander of the Tiger (P) tank, heading into the forest, the Panzer continues to make its way around.

Within a few minutes, the Tiger's gunner, Hoshino notices the Firefly.

"Firefly in the front! 1500 meters!"

"Suzuki, hurry up and load the turret before it fires!"

"Hai!"

Just as the Tiger's turret was loaded, the Firefly was able to fire first and manages to hit the Tiger. However, while it was able to penetrate the Tiger's 100m of frontal armor, the flag wasn't risen, which meant that the tank is still operational.

"Fire!"

The Tiger fired directly at the Firefly. The white flag was raised from the defeated tank.

"The Firefly is taken out! We will move on and locate the command and flag tank!"

Before Mallard can do so, however, the Tiger seems to be having another mechanical issue, preventing it from moving.

"Uh oh, we seemed to have encountered a mechanical issue we haven't quite fixed yet so we can't move." Nakajima alerted Miho.

The scene then turns to Miho. "Its fine, we have the flag tank in sight as well as the command tank!"

Just as Kay finishes backing up, she turns around and finds the Panzer IV coming behind Alisa and immediately alerts her.

[Alisa! Miho's tank is behind you!]

"Huh!?" As soon as Alisa turns around, the Panzer already fired its shell, hitting the tank on the rear.

[BOOM!]

Another explosion occurred upon impact and the white flag was raised. With the flag tank out, the Ooarai crew wins the rematch.

* * *

After the match, both Kay and Miho shook hands in a similar fashion from the aftermath of their first match.

"It looks like Ooarai has done it again. It was a very good match, especially against you." Kay compliments Miho on her performance.

"No, I actually thought you would actually beat us this time since our tank is the only one operational at the end. It was very close that I got so nervous."

"I was too. I actually thought our strategy would work this time, but I guess luck was on your side."

"But your team has gotten much better with planning. You even made all of us run around in circles during the match."

"It still needs work though, but we will get better until our next match."

"Hai, I will be looking forward to it." Miho smiled and both teams left on peaceful terms.

* * *

Immediately after the match, the Ooarai team was congratulated by everyone in the school and later by others living in the Zuikaku ship. Even Miho's sister, Maho, seems to be very pleased with Miho's development, despite the fact that the Anglerfish Team were the only ones with fully operational tank at the end of the match.

"Oh, by the way, Okaa-san also seemed happy over how the match turned out. Take a look."

Maho took out her phone and shows her little sister the text message received from their mother.

[Congratulations Miho...]

"Okaa-san..." Miho felt touched at earning her mother's praise and the two sisters share a hug.

After a few hours of celebration, including a large party in the academy, the Anglerfish Team decided to call it a night, but Miho wanted to ride her tank one more time.

"Hey, just this once, do you think we could take the tank for a ride under the night sky?"

"I think that is a great idea to end the day." Hana agreed to Miho's request.

"Just thinking about it makes it so romantic!" Saori also agreed.

"Please just let me rest." Mako is the only one fatigued.

"Eh!? Come on Mako, its not everyday we see a Panzer IV move in the night sky!" Yukari tries to convince Mako to join them.

"Its going to be alright. Just one more ride and then we can head back." Eventually, Mako decides to accept her team's request.

As the Panzer IV starts moving, the girls commented on how beautiful the night sky is as they are moving.

"The stars are very beautiful at night." Hana said.

"Hai. Sometimes when I just look straight up at the stars, I feel like I could just grab them." Miho has a hard time taking her eyes off of the bright stars.

"It makes me sleepy..." Mako is the only one who wants to sleep as she stares at they sky.

"Don't be like that Mako. We are almost done." Yukari told Mako again.

"I think looking at the night sky will be a perfect thing to do for when I get a boyfriend." Saori is also mesmerized by the sky.

However, things turn for the worst as Mako continues dozing off as she is driving, causing Miho to panic.

"Mako! Watch where you are driving!"

"Huh!?" When Mako fully awakes, she realizes that the tank is heading towards the edge of the freighter and tries to turn back.

"Its no use! We are going to fall!"

"WAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The entire team yelled as the tank starts falling off until a sudden bright light engulfs them before touching the water.

* * *

"Ugh!" Miho felt some pain on the back of her head as she struggles to wake up.

"Huh? What happened?" Once Miho opened her eyes, she notices that the other girls remain unconscious and opens the hatch to see where they are.

"Wh-What is this!? Isn't it suppose to be dark?"

Miho looks at the sky to find it turned grey from all of the smoke. As she looks around, she notices destroyed buildings and other structures and fears that they might not be on the Zuikaku anymore.

"Hmm? Nishizumi-san? What is going on?" Hana was the first to wake up.

"Hana-san, you need to take a look at this!"

Hana then opens her hatch and was just as appalled by the sight of destruction. "Wh-What happened here?"

"This is definitely not the Zuikaku. Hana, wake up the rest of the girls. We need to figure out where we are."

"H-Hai!" Hana proceeds to wake up the girls, starting with Yukari.

"Yukari! Yukari! Wake up!"

"Hmm? Hana? What is going on?"

"We don't know, but we are no longer on Zuikaku anymore."

"Huh!?" Yukari becomes astonished and was immediately wide awake.

"EH! We're not on the Zuikaku anymore!?" Saori was already awake.

"Mako, wake up! Wake up!" Miho shakes the sleeping Mako.

"Mmmm...five more minutes...zzz..." Mako remains asleep.

"We might not have five more minutes! We are still inside the tank! We are no longer even on the ship!"

"Hmm?" Mako struggles to get up.

While still sleepy, Mako opens the hatch, but does not immediately recognize the situation due to dozing off. As she struggles to become more awake, she soon becomes more aware and gasps at the sight of destruction, immediately closing her hatch.

"Wh-Where are we?"

"I don't know. That's what we are going to find out." Miho then opens the main hatch to step outside, causing Hana to panic a little.

"Wait Nishizumi-san! It might be too dangerous to step outside!"

"I will stay close to the tank, but we need to know where we are to find our way back."

As Miho steps out of the tank, she smells something foul in the air and closes her nose. She then starts walking around the tank until she stepped on to something soft.

"Huh? What is this?"

When Miho looks down, she notices a dead body covered in blood, some of which has gotten onto her shoes.

"KYAAAAAA!" Miho immediately freaks out.

"Miho!? What is it!" Saori immediately comes out of her hatch, followed by the rest of the tank crew.

Miho, terrified, points down at the body while trembling. "Th-There is a-a d-d-dead body on the ground."

"Huh?" The girls looked down.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Like Miho, the girls also screamed upon sight and all of them immediately rushed back inside the tank.

"J-Just where are we!?" Mako screamed.

"I don't want to be here anymore! I want to go back!" Saori is immensely terrified as she tightly embraces the equally scared Miho.

"Ah, I know, maybe we can use our cell phones and make a call!"

Yukari immediately takes out her cell phone, only to find there is no signal.

"Huh!? No signal!?"

"I have no signal on mine too." Miho sighs.

"Not me." Mako shook her head.

"Sorry, but I am also the same." Hana sighs.

"Mou! Why won't our cell phones work here!?" Saori yelled.

Miho then had an idea. "I know, maybe we can use the radio to find a frequency and call for help!"

Everyone agreed to her idea and Miho begins tampering with the radio. After five minutes, a frequency was picked up, much to Miho's relief.

"I've picked up a frequency!"

Miho picks up the communicator. "Hello, is anyone there? We are stuck in some kind of land filled with grey clouds, destroyed buildings and dead bodies and have no idea where we are! We need help getting out of this place, so someone please answer!"

"This is General Armin Roy of the U.S. Army, we've picked up your emergency transmission! Please disclose your location for possible rescue!"

Unfortunately, the frequency was picked up by an English-speaking man, causing a language barrier between him and the girls. Undeterred, Miho tries to communicate.

"Um, this is Miho Nishizumi of the Anglerfish Team of Ooarai Girls High School. We are trapped in an unknown area with grey clouds, dead bodies, and destroyed buildings! I repeat, grey clouds, dead bodies, and destroyed buildings! We are currently hiding inside of our Panzer IV so please send help!"

"Miss, can you please speak English!? I have no idea what you are saying!"

"Please send help!" Miho begged.

"Ah shit! Now I recognize that language..." General Roy cuts off communications.

"No wait! Wait! Please..." Miho starts to break down after getting cut off, causing a brief moment of silence.

"Nishizumi-san, if they don't understand Japanese, why don't we move and find someone who can help us instead?"

"H-Hai..." Miho reluctantly agrees with Hana's suggestion.

As the girls drive through the destroyed town, Yukari notices an object to the left of their tank.

"Stop! Stop!"

"Huh!? Akiyama-san? What is it?" Miho asked as Yukari opens her hatch.

Yukari did not answer and got out of the tank, running to where she saw the object.

"Ah! Wait! Akiyama-san!" Worried about separating in the unknown land, Miho had her Panzer follow Yukari.

"Ah, no way..."

"Is that...?"

After both Yukari and the Panzer stopped as both her and Miho saw smoke coming out of what appears to be a destroyed Panther tank.

"A Mark V Panther tank...How come nobody comes to pick it up!? Such a waste of a good tank that could have played very well in the Sensha-dō with its 80 mm of armor in the upper hull front and 60 mm on the lower hull front, plus the sloped thickness which adds up to 140 mm, and the 7.5 cm Kwk 42 L/70 main gun with the speed of up to 55 km/h at 3,000 rpm! This is upgraded from the Panzer IV we are riding in now!"

"Akiyama-san! Look around you!" Miho screamed.

As Yukari did what she was told, she spots numerous Mark V Panthers as well as Panther IVs, destroyed and on fire. Seeing this, Mako finally realized where they are.

"From the looks of it, we appeared to have traveled back in time to Germany during World War II. This is the aftermath of a battle."

"WHAT!?" All the girls shouted.

Just then, a noise was heard from a distance. Recognizing the the sound was coming from rolling tanks, Miho immediately alerts Yukari.

"Akiyama-san, get back inside!"

Yukari nodded and got back inside of the tank. As soon as all of the hatches closed, the girls started driving away. Yukari then looks behind and got a good look at the tanks giving chase.

"Those are M4 Shermans, but based on the color and the destroyed Panthers, they are definitely not Saunders'." Yukari pointed out.

Several M4 Shermans started firing with the girls doing everything to avoid getting hit. One of them ricochet off of the Panzer's side armor.

"Careful! These are real armor-piercing rounds! If those hit, it will really kill us!" Miho warned.

Just as they are about to head out of the town, another couple of Shermans emerged from the front, blocking there only escape. After the chase stops, the tank crew from the lead tank behind the Panzer opens the hatch and comes out.

"Get out of the fuckin tank or we will shoot!" The tank commander shouted.

Despite being unable to understand English, the girls knew that they would be killed if they resist. They open the hatches and silently come out of the tank with their hands up. The Sherman tank crew were shocked that the Panzer tank operators were nothing more than teenage girls.

The Tank commander is especially displeased. "Oh you've got to be shittin me! Those fuckin Nazis are losing the war and now they are having little Japanese girls pilot their tanks!"

One member of the crew, who looks almost as young as the girls, seem to recognize them in a way, but is quite confused of their situation. He also took a look at their tank and realizes that the symbol of the tank is not a Swastika. Realizing that the girls are terrified, the soldier quickly comes to their defense.

"Sir, please wait. These girls are not part of the Nazis."

"What? You know these girls?"

"No, but I do somewhat recognize the design of their clothing so I might have an idea where they might have come from."

"Wait a minute! Are you telling me that they might be similar to you?"

"Yes sir, I think they might also be from the future. You don't see Japanese girls dress like that, let alone ride a tank."

"Well shit. More of them. This time its girls. Have them taken back to base as well as their tank."

"Yes sir!"

The Commander then turn to the boy. "Since you can speak Japanese as well, tell the girls to come with us in their tank."

"Yes sir."

The soldier turns to the terrified girls. "Your questions will be answered later. Right now, you all are ordered to follow us back to base while driving your tank."

After seeing the girls nod, he heads back to his tank. Realizing that they won't be able to survive on their own, the girls reluctantly obeyed the American forces, unsure of what will happen to them.

* * *

 **A new story involving the Anglerfish team accidentally sent back in time to the World War II era somewhere in Europe. This will be my darkest story yet, based on true events, but not a direct adaption of the events that occurred in World War II so there will be inaccuracies to make a role for the girls. Characters will be fictional and the story will focus only on the war with politics left in the background. There will be a lot of foul language, ethnic slurs between the girls (due to them being Japanese and driving a Panzer tank) and a few hostile Americans, and blood and gore, but not in great detail. I hate using offensive words, but I want to add at least some realism to this fictional story. Rated T for the preview, but tell me if you think I should change the rating to M since I am planning to include all of this. I know that some parts of the Sensha-dō might be inaccurate, but I am no war expert and Girls und Panzers has inaccuracies in the show anyway. I am open for advice, but please no hate and keep the explanations easy to understand. Thank you.**


	2. Introductions

After the Anglerfish team was somehow transported to the European theatre of World War II, they were immediately chased by the American tankers, who briefly assumed that the girls were part of the Nazis due to them driving a Panzer tank and keeping themselves hidden inside. After being caught, the American soldiers were flabbergasted that the one driving the tank were teenage girls and one of the tank commanders immediately labeled them as associates of the Nazis and the Empire of Japan despite their young age, but one member of the tank crew under him intervenes on their behalf. After revealing that he himself is from the future and that the girls might be in a similar predicament as when he first arrived, the commander ordered him to act as the girls' translators, since he is multilingual, as well as ordering them to follow the American forces. Seeing as they have no other options, they reluctantly obeyed and followed the American soldiers. As the girls drive, they were ordered to keep their hatches opened so that they could be kept an eye on by others and are currently having a discussion amongst themselves about their situation.

"Miho, are we really following the U.S. forces back to their base?" Saori asked as she cautiously looked around outside at the war torn area.

"We don't have a choice. We are no longer in the world that we know and considering how hostile both Japan and America were during the war, we will be killed if we resist."

"The fact that we are also driving one of the enemy tanks during the era doesn't help much either." Yukari added.

"If only I hadn't fallen asleep during our drive, we would have never come here." Mako said in her regretful tone.

"You are not fully at fault Mako. I was the one who wanted to go out that night for a drive, when you felt the need to sleep. I will take full responsibility of our situation."

"Nishizumi-san..." Hana could only watch as the girls await their fate once they reach the American base.

Miho then took a look at the Sherman tank in front of her, apparently an M4A2. When she looked at the tracks, disgust immediately filled her body as a dead body emerged from underneath the tank, almost vomiting at the site.

"Miho, are you alright?" Saori asked.

"I am fine...I am just seeing a lot of things I never wanted to see."

Within the M4A2, there is currently a discussion among the crew about the girls, among them was the young soldier who saved them and is currently the bow gunner and assistant driver. The loader/radio operator is currently showing the most hostility towards the girls as he has strong doubts over their origins due to their race and tank.

"There is no way those Jap girls are from your era! I mean, who brings a fuckin enemy tank on our side other than those Nazi fucks!"

"It can't be helped. We don't choose who our allies are and you already know the reason why I believed that they are from my time."

"Yeah yeah, the clothes and the fact that the tank lacks a fuckin Swastika symbol, but that still doesn't erase the possibility that they were sent by our enemies. Yeah, you told me that Germany and Japan would be our allies by that time, but why the heck would they have a tank that has destroyed so much of our own!?" The loader continues his rant.

"That is something I will talk to the girls about once we get back to base. Can we please just let it go until then?"

"Like fuck I am going to let it go! These girls maybe young, but they are Japs as well! It is entirely possible that the they have teenage soldiers just like the ones hired by fucking Hitler!"

"Except that Japan would never hire girls into the army during that time. They were basically kept back to take care of their houses and families until their husbands came back from the war."

"Family my ass! I'd say we hold them to send Japan a fucking-!"

"ALRIGHT, THAT'S ENOUGH!" The tank commander shouted.

"Snake, I've had enough of hearing what trash is coming out of your mouth! Whether these girls are our enemies or allies is something we will discuss when we get back to base! As of right now, we just got back from a battle so I don't want to hear anymore shit coming from any of you! Is that clear!"

"Yes sir!" Both the bow gunner and loader replied with a solute.

As they reach the entrance of the U.S. base, a total of seven tanks entered with the Panzer, the third tank to enter, receiving the most attention as the soldiers were shocked to see young girls inside of the hatches, riding an enemy tank inside among their own. Once the tanks were ordered to stop, the young soldier helped escorted the five girls to an empty tent and the patrols were ordered to protect them until they can find what to do with them.

* * *

At a meeting destination an hour later...

The members of the tank column met with their commander, who appears to be middle aged with a grey mustache, and gave a solute as military protocol dictated before settling down in their seats. The commander then starts the conversation after receiving a couple of papers from another soldier that was inside.

"Not long after all of you came back, I have received an interesting report about Japanese girls driving a Panzer tank found near Arracourt and that they might be from the same timeline as our bow-gunner here, Derek Turner, am I right?"

"Yes, General Wilson. I recognized where they are from after looking at their clothing and the symbol on their tank, which didn't even exist yet. These girls are not members of the Nazis."

"If that's the case, then this meeting is to find out what we need to do with them I suppose."

"Yes sir. If they are truly from our boy's timeline, it must mean that they are suppose to help us in some sort to help us win this war and considering that they landed here instead of behind enemy lines, that is what I believe they are here for." Derek's tank commander gives his support.

"Bullshit! Even if these girls came from a different Japan, they are still Jap girls and, plus, they are kids! There is no way I will let them fight our fuckin battles! They might as well be better off at one of those camps back in the states!" The loader shouted.

"Second it! We can't have kids fighting our battles! It's against the U.S. military code!" Another soldier added in.

"I understand your concern, but from what I've read, these girls are quite experienced in driving a tank, considering that you guys have to give a chase to catch them so they might prove beneficial to us." General Wilson added.

"I agree. Like Derek here, these girls are from the same future so they might know how each battle can be won and with a little upgrade, the Panzer they came in with can be one lean machine for battle as well as scouting operations." The driver also shows support for Derek.

"No way! The U.S. Army should not have little Japanese girls fighting for us in this war! They also came in with an enemy tank and are from an enemy nation! How the fuck do we know that they might be destined to work for the enemy and that we are just lucky to have find them before those Nazis!?" The soldier in the opposite side of Derek shouted.

"I can't see them as enemy soldiers Sergeant Mason. When they came out of the hatches, they were as scared as shit and their faces have shown that they don't know what is happening. It would be unfair to treat them as enemies." Derek added.

General Wilson looked at the papers again. "You've all brought some good points. Even if they are not our enemy, they are still kids and it is against the law for them to join unless they are at least Derek's age. However, they seemed to be very experienced with tanks and their knowledge from the future might prove to be beneficial in battle. If what Derek said is true, then they need to do something so they can win the right to go back to their home just like him."

"So what are we going to do about them?" The tank commander asked.

"We need to learn more about them to decide. For now, they are being checked by our nurses to see if they have any health problems that need to be kept in check. Derek, since you are one of the only few here that can speak Japanese, you'll be their translators and caretaker of the girls for the time being until they are properly trained and educated for possible combat. It is your job to make sure they stay in place, understand?"

Derek gives a solute. "Yes sir!"

"Good. All of your are dismissed." With the meeting over, the soldiers head out of the tent.

As Derek was about to be dismissed, his tank commander briefly catches up him. "Seems like you will be temporarily dismissed from service to take care of the Japanese girls from the future, aren't you?"

"As if I have a choice. They don't belong in this time period, especially the war, and yet they cannot go back home unless they take part in making sure that the result remains the same in history. This means that the internment or refugee camps are not an option for them. They have to become part of the U.S. Army."

"Their gender and age aside, those girls are not even U.S. citizens since they are from Japan. If our government finds out about this, they will be treated either as enemy prisoners or illegal child soldiers regardless of where they came from and their purpose. Even if we decide to keep them in the dark about this, the rest of us here only sees them as Japs and nothing else. These girls are going to have a lot of difficulty getting trust from all of the boys here."

"Even so, they still have to help out. Eventually, even with such hostility, they are going to have to put that aside if we hope for victory. Who knows if their presence can also reveal a clue to how history changed in the first place. That's also why we have to take care of them."

"Maybe so, but considering I am the commander of this five man tank crew, I have no time to be babysitting and teach some young girls so they will learn how to fight. Their tank will also have to be changed in order to make it more combat efficient, since the inspection reveals that their shells were not made to kill. You sure you are up to the task?" The commander asked.

"Whether I am up to it or not, I am the only one who can speak Japanese so its not like I have a choice. Anyway, first thing first, these girls got to go through a medical check up before we can find out what to do with them."

"A nurse is already inside of their tent checking them for any illness or abnormal conditions. Do not enter until she said its okay." The commander instructed.

"Yes sir, I will do my best." Derek solutes.

"Son, I know you will." The commander solutes back before walking away.

After his commander left, Derek went to the girls tank and stood in front of it, waiting for the nurse to finish checking on them. After ten more minutes, the nurse, apparently a young blond woman, comes out and allows Derek inside, where he sees five terrified schoolgirls wondering what is going to happen to them.

"So are all of them in good enough shape for exercise and possibly battle?" Derek asked the nurse.

"All of them seem to be in good shape except for one, who appears to have hypotension or low blood pressure as well as low blood sugar. If she has to take part in this war, she is going to need to have extra salt pills and sugar rations to keep her blood pressure and blood sugar stable if they are going to do military exercises or battle."

"I will have that set up. Right now, the girls look very terrified of what is happening. Do you mind if I talk to them alone so that I can help them settle down!"

"Not at all, I was just about to leave anyway. Make sure to take good care of them."

"I will." The nurse then leaves the tent after getting assurance from Derek.

Derek then turns to the girls and starts speaking Japanese. "How are you girls doing so far?"

"Scared, cold, and lost. We were driving our tank at night just for a ride, but we suddenly lost control for a brief moment and ended up here. We thought we were going to die when we were caught by the American forces." Miho responded.

"Then I guess that means you girls already figured out where you are."

Yukari nodded. "Almost as soon as we saw the Sherman tanks, we realized that we were in a bad spot and that we would be killed since we represent the enemy in their eyes."

"Correct me if I am wrong, but that tank was used for the Sensha-dō, wasn't it?"

The girls then looked up in surprise that he knew what the Sensha-dō is since the sport didn't exist in that era. They had a brief moment of silence before Hana started speaking up.

"How did you know? I am pretty sure that no such sport exist here."

Derek then takes out his bag and opens it. Out comes a large book titled _History and Understanding of World War II_ , which was dated only a couple of years before the girls' timeline, proving that he himself is from the future.

"I am in the same boat as you. The only difference is that I was here five months longer so I had time to adjust to the current timeline."

"Huh!? You suddenly got stuck in this time period as well!?" Saori asked in surprise.

"Yup. This book and several other things in my backpack were all I had with me when I suddenly got teleported here if that is an accurate way to put it. I was a history buff student from Los Angeles who is currently studying in Japan and became active in the protest against what we perceived as sexism of the Sensha-dō. I was at the Bovington Tank Museum examining some kind of jewel-like artifact that was owned by one of the Nazi tankers of a Tiger I that many said was a good luck charm for the war. I fell asleep for a moment on the bench due to jet lag and then when I woke up, I found myself stuck in Europe during World War II."

"I see, so you are from the same timeline as us I presumed." Mako yawned.

Derek nodded. "Yep. After I got used to being a soldier, I have been riding a tank as a bow gunner and an assistant-driver."

"I see. I feel better knowing that we are not alone. Wait a minute, you said that you are active in the protest against what you perceived to be sexism of our sport! What exactly do you mean by that!?" Saori yelled.

"It means exactly as it is. After reading how many men were killed while riding these tanks in battle, I started to resent the fact that Sensha-dō has been labeled as a girls' sport. I had friends whose grandfather and great-grandfather died while riding these tanks. They were upset that they cannot pay tribute by riding the same kind of tank to pay tribute to their late members of their family without being made fun off for taking part of a girls' sport."

"Well, of course. Even though men fought in the war with those tanks, the sport itself was made for girls under the vision of being able to use tanks for a fun enjoyable event without the casualties. Girls were made to drive, because they believe that the move helps loosen the trauma of what these tanks have gone through in combat." Yukari pointed out, which only irritated Derek.

"That part I somewhat agree with, but at the same time, it makes people forget the soldiers that sacrifice their lives to allow the generation of our time to live! If that happens, they will never understand what people like them have been though, especially with the sport being made only for girls!"

"But constant reminders will only cause pain and suffering to those trying to move on from the war!"

As Derek and Yukari argued about the ethics of Sensha-dō, Miho steps in and interrupts. "Both of you please stop! Having both of you argue will not make our current situation any better! Both of you brought good points about Sensha-dō, but now its not the time for that! We need to focus on how we are going to get back home!"

Miho then turns to Derek. "Since you've been here the longest, did you find any clues on what led us here and how to get back home?"

"As a matter of fact, I did."

Derek then lays the book on the ground and opens the pages, flipping through them before stopping at a certain page around the middle.

"The area where we found you was actually the aftermath of the Battle of Arracourt, which ended at the end of September, 1944, as the book stated."

"Wait, so you mean that we are in Lorraine, France, and not Germany?" Mako asked.

"Nope, but that's not the point. You girls were found in the aftermath of the battle, but take a look at the date on the calendar."

The girls looked at the calendar that is in their room and were surprised that today is actually November 5th instead of September 29, the day the Battle of Arracourt ended.

"Eh!? That battle should have ended a little over a month ago, not today!" Saori yelled.

"During the day I arrived, I found out that Nazi Germany had more victories over the United States than what was recorded from the war. U.S. still has more victories and we are steadily pushing towards Germany, but the Allies have lost a couple of major battles that hindered our progress such as the Battle of Geel and the Battle of Nancy, some of the battles they were suppose to win. I believed that the historical change might be part of the reason why we were sent here."

"But why us?" Hana asked.

"That is something I am still trying to figure out. Considering that history has changed all of a sudden, I got a feeling that another party is involved in this, but I am not sure yet. Here is what I think right now, since I became a soldier, I have been using my knowledge of the war, including the weapons and strategy used, trying to fix the mistakes in history, even if its already a little late. I think that the best possibility for all of us to go home is to play a part in this war to fix history. I can't guarantee whether it will work, but it is the only thing I can think of now."

"So, in other words, the only possible way for us to get home is to become soldiers of the Allied forces to make sure they win the World War II?" Miho asked.

Derek nodded. "For the time being, yes. If you refuse, the U.S. Army you might be sent to one of those internment or POW camps specifically for the Japanese since most of the soldiers here probably hate your guts right now."

"Eh!? But we are nothing more than students who just ride tanks as a sport! We can't participate in a real battle!" Saori complained.

"Whether you want to or not, we don't have a choice! I am risking my life everyday just by being inside of a tank! If we can't fix history, we might become stuck here forever or even killed! Yes, there is death in war, but the fact that there is still hope for me to get home is what keeps me going! For me, at least it's better to die than to live in a world of oppression! If you don't want to fight, I won't force you, but not getting involved will probably jeopardize your chances to get home and the soldiers will not keep you here! The choice is yours."

The Anglerfish team then looked at each other, unsure of what to do. They have a choice of either risking death for the chance to get back home or be put into a camp and face hatred and prejudice for years to come and possibly allowing the Axis to win.

Miho then speaks up. "What do you girls think?"

"...I think that no matter what happens, bad things will come either way. If we lose or don't participate, I don't think we will be able to live a life worth living. On the other hand, if we do fight, we might have a chance to go back, although the chances of death remain high." Hana answered.

Saori has also already made her decision. "Yeah. To be honest, either answer will not make our lives any easier and we will probably be experiencing something more traumatizing than the war if we refused. I will fight as long as I am with all of you."

Mako nodded. "I understand. At least we will still be riding tanks together like always. The only thing is that the combat is real."

"If death were to fall upon us, at least I can take comfort to the fact that I get to see them in battle for real as well as experience them." Yukari is also in agreement.

Miho then turns back to Derek. "We accept the offer."

Derek then offers his hand. "Very well then. Allow me to introduce myself; I am Private Derek Turner and I will be your caretaker and translator for the time you are here. By the way, don't ever mention anything about the Sensha-dō to the soldiers. They already hate the Japanese to a great deal and will be furious if they find out that the tanks people are killed in are used as a girls-only sport."

The girls nodded with Miho shaking his hand. "My name is Nishizumi Miho, the tank commander of the Anglerfish team, our official name in the Sensha-dō. The one behind me is our gunner, Isuzu Hana. Next to her is our radio operator, Takebi Saori. Next to Saori is our loader, Akiyama Yukari, and finally, the one with a sleepy face is our tank driver, Reizei Mako."

"Nice to meet you. Just so you know, I will also be teaching you the English language during the time of your training so that you can learn how to communicate with the other soldiers in battle, even if its just a little. You also better get used to calling them by their first names, since they are going to do the same. Remember, this is America so Japanese formalities are almost non-existent here, understand?"

The girls nodded.

"Good. For now, start setting up. Your training will begin in two days at 6 AM sharp."

"Eh!? That early!?" Mako complained.

"Yes, that early! The enemy will not wait for you to be fully well rested so you better get used to it! Just be lucky that we have to be more lenient towards you than my drill instructor! That guy worked me to the bone to the point that even becoming your caretakers is like a vacation to me! 6 AM, no excuses! Oh, and welcome to the United States Army." Derek made a solute before exiting the tent as the girls begin to set up.

"Um, are you sure that helping them win the war will bring us back home?" Saori asked Miho.

"It is the only clue we have so far so we might as well fulfill it. Even now my hands are shaking over what is going to happen to us." Miho answered as she sets up her bed.

* * *

Outside of the tent...

Derek makes eye contact with the loader of his tanks as soon as he left. The loader then puts a cigarette in his mouth and takes out a lighter to light the other end.

"You sure you wanna be helping them Jap girls? They maybe from the future, but who knows whether they were sent here to support their own country no matter how different Japan is from their time."

"I highly doubt that they would want to live in Japan in its current state. Give them a chance and I am sure they will prove to be very valuable allies."

"I don't trust no Japs, even if they are young girls. If they are going to be joining us in battle, they better keep away from me if they know what is good for them and I won't hesitate to shoot if they turn out to be fuckin traitors." The loader warned.

"I will keep that in mind Jonny. Have you guys managed to find a temporary replacement?"

"Yeah, let's hope he can last until you are done being the caretaker."

"Then I wish my team good luck." Both salute each other before separating temporarily as a team.

Derek then looks back at the tent the girls will be staying in and whispered something to himself. "For Japanese girls to take part in this...it looks like it will my job to protect them as well."

He then sees their Panzer tank taken away for customization before turning back. Knowing the girls will be traumatized by war, Derek makes a personal vow to keep them alive, even if it means losing his opportunity to go back home.

"...I swear." Those were the last words that whispered away from his mouth before leaving the area.

* * *

 **Another chapter done. Sorry it took so long. I needed to finish some of the older fanfics that were still ongoing. However, due to high amount of school work I need to do and the other fanfics I started ahead of time, I am placing this fanfic on hold, but I can assure you it is not canceled. This will be the last chapter to be rated T as the story will get more violent and dark in the coming chapters. There is going to be a lot of inaccuracies, but it is needed so that the girls can take part in the battles. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, even though there is no action.**


	3. Training and Trust

It has been several days since the Anglerfish team were sent back in time and joined the U.S. Army due to history being suddenly being changed. With assistance from an M4A2 bow gunner and assistant driver, Derek Turner, who is also from the girls' timeline, they are allowed to keep their Panzer IV tank as long as it is used to assist the U.S. in armored warfare. Despite the obstacles and hatred the girls face such as racism, sexism, age, and inexperience, they knew that in order to get back home, they will have to help fix history to make sure that the Allied Forces win the war. Little did they know how hard things are going to be when preparing for a real battle.

"Ha..ha...ha..." Heavy breathing was heard when the Anglerfish team, now dressed in U.S. Army uniforms, are taking laps in the now U.S. occupied part of the woods.

"Keep trying. You girls need to be in shape once you start a real battle, even in armored warfare." Derek is also running with the girls to keep in shape, but is far ahead of them since his body is used to the training.

"Ha...Easy for you to say." Miho is struggling to keep Derek within a visible distance.

Hana and Saori are equally as tired, but are behind the two with Mako being last due to her low blood pressure, but still trying.

"Geez...we never had to do this much when we did tankery for sport!" Saori complained.

"Ha..ha...ha...Yeah, but we are going to be risking our lives here like everyone else...ha...we need to do at least that much to increase our chances of survival...ha...ha...so that we can go home." Hana explained.

"...Just how much more do we have to do!?" Saori yelled as she continued running.

"...No...more..." Mako is apparently reaching her limits.

Derek turns around and sees Mako nearing to the point of collapse and stops to check on her.

"You girls continue to keep running. I will take care of Mako over here."

"H-Hai!" The other girls responded simultaneously.

Luckily, Derek had brought a canteen filled with orange juice specifically prepared for Mako due to her low blood sugar. Once Mako is down on her knees, Derek gave her the juice and she drank it all at once.

"Are you okay, Mako?"

Mako nodded and gives the canteen back to Derek before continuing her run. Derek turns around to see that the other girls have already passed the stopping point to the other side. Seeing them reaching their limits, Derek finally orders them to stop.

"You girls are doing good, much better than a couple of days ago, including Mako." Derek gave praise as the girls try to catch their breath.

"Give yourselves an hour break, then we are going to go do some target practice before your meals. Your English lessons will continue afterwards, then spend the next hour in an obstacle course before hitting the showers. I know it may seem much now, but your body and minds will get used to it as you continue. Anyway, dismissed!"

The girls then head back to the camp, where they washed themselves in the sink to cool off before walking back to their tent.

"Ah...I am exhausted..." Mako then lays down on her bed.

"But it was a lot better than when we first tried it. I remember we collapsed halfway and were forced to do push ups for failing." Miho then shudders at the thought.

Hana, however, was more relaxed after catching her breath. "The U.S. soldiers have to do twice as much as we are doing now so we can't exactly complain, even though we are girls. Plus, eventually, we will have to join them in battle with our tank."

"Never thought in my life did I ever have to be in a tank in an actual war. To think that we will have to risk our lives just to get home..." As much of a fan Yukari is when it comes to tanks, the thought of killing or be killed still left her fearful.

Saori tries to comfort Yukari. "Try not to be too down Yukari. Derek said that the Americans might hate us due to our race, but they still willing to defend us since they don't feel comfortable about letting girls be in the front line."

"Takebe-san is right, Akiyama-san, we will not be alone in battles. There will be tanks both behind and in front of us ready to defend. Plus, those guys are willing to risk their lives to fight for what they think is right. We will be like cowards compared to them so we must show that we can be brave as well." Miho added, trying to get Yukari motivated.

"I know! I know that we must prove ourselves so that we can have a chance to go home, but..." Yukari had a hard time saying what she was going to say next.

"It's okay Akiyama-san. You can tell us." Hana comforts the terrified Yukari.

"I am afraid of dying! I am afraid that we might be killed before we can go home! You know how bad World War II was from history! No matter how safe you think you are, the chance of dying is always high! I am afraid! I am afraid to kill! I am afraid of getting killed! I just want to go home!" Yukari broke down in Hana's arms and starts crying.

"I know Akiyama-san. I am afraid to die as well as killing others, but this is what fate has for us. The Americans are brave, but I am sure that many are just as afraid as we are and yet that bravery is what keeps them fighting."

"Miho is right. We can't let our fear of death take control of us, otherwise, we will never get back home. After playing with tanks as sports, I almost forgot how real and violent tank battles can get in real life." Saori added.

"Both Derek-kun and Takebe-san made good points, we've been treating tank battles too much as a sport and almost forgot how violent they are in real life battles. I now see why Derek-kun is heavily against tankery being solely a girl's sport. I am getting off topic here, but Akiyama-san, even if we choose to live and not battle, remember that the Japan right now is not the home we know. In the end, no matter what, there will be consequences in either option and not one is better than the other. So tell me, what do you want to do?"

After managing to compose herself a little bit, Yukari takes a brief moment to think before finally showing some courage that she lacked during training. "I remember saying if death were upon us, it would be enough to see and experience real tank battles in the field. For me to feel so down after a several days, because I was afraid. I want to go home, so let's fix history, Miho."

Miho nodded after seeing Yukari's newfound determination. Mako, who is now rested, puts her hand on Yukari's right shoulder.

"We are not alone. We will fight together, no matter what."

"Always remember that home is where we are aiming for." Hana added before releasing Yukari.

Unbeknownst to them, Derek, who came to check up on them, overheard everything, furthering his desire to make the girls get home alive and silently commends Yukari's determination by nodding before leaving.

* * *

One hour later...

Derek enters the tent to let the girls know that its time for target practice, only to see that the girls have finished loading their M1 Garand rifles that were issued to them.

"Good to see that you girls are ready by the time I came. Let's go shoot some targets." The girls then follow Derek to the shooting field.

As the girls starts shooting the targets, Derek notices major improvements on their accuracy from when they first started, although not perfect since there are a few shots missed here and there. Nonetheless, he is happy with the result and only expects the girls to further improve until their time for battle. After thirty minutes of target practice, Derek called it a day and accompanied the girls to the mess hall, out of concern how the other soldiers would treat them since they are eating with them. By the time food was served, the girls still express desire to eat Japanese food, even though they have already gotten used to eating what was served to them.

"Look, its the young Jap girls."

"Who continues to let them in? Eating in the same room as those fuckin Japs gives the food a bad taste."

"That Jap lover is protecting them, but we can't do anything since he is still a US soldier."

The last remark was aimed at Derek, who ignores them. The girls, having been taught enough English to understand certain phrases are worried how their instructor is being treated due his willingness to teach and protect them.

"Um, Derek-kun..."

"Ignore them. Nothing good comes out of fighting with each other. If you can, try to speak English around the soldiers if any come to talk to you. It will be good practice and prove to some that you are willing to be on their side." Derek interrupted Miho.

"Yes..."

After finding an empty table, the group began eating their meals. A little later, however, another group, consisting of three U.S. soldiers, finished their meals and starts approaching their table, which Derek takes notice of. He knew that they were up to no good, but keeps quiet to prevent conflict.

"Well well well, look who it is. The fuckin Jap lover and those Jap girls eating in the same room that are only meant for Americans and those loyal to their country!" The tall one yelled.

"You girls shouldn't even be here since this is an American base! You should be in Japan bowing to the Emperor in hopes that you wouldn't be killed by our bombs!" The guy next to the tall one said.

"That meal doesn't look suitable for Japanese taste. Allow me to spice it up." The third soldier said.

Knowing he intends to spit on their food, Derek holds out his arm to prevent him from further approaching them.

The soldier then turns his attention to Derek. "Oh look, the Jap lover is defending his girlfriends! You know what, why don't you fuckin go to Japan with them!? I am sure that Jap lovers like yourself will be welcomed in the Emperor's arms!"

The soldier then takes his cup of coffee and spills it on to Derek's head and laughs, humiliating him, but he still refuses to retaliate.

Seeing no response, the tall soldier grabs Derek by the collar. "So you are the silent type, huh? How about we teach you a lesson about what happens when you defend a Jap!"

The tall soldier prepares to punch Derek. Unable to stand the hostility towards Derek any longer, Miho stands up and yells in English, "STOP!"

Miho's yell caused the soldier to stop, making him pissed off as soon as he laid his eyes on her. "As I thought, a fuckin Jap would always stick to their kind."

"Call me whatever you want, but leave our instructor alone."

The hostile soldier just laughed Miho off. "Hah! Just because a Jap girl like you can speak a little English, you think I am going to fuckin stop!? You wish! A Jap is always a Jap, including supporters like him!"

"Go back to Japan! You will probably be more welcomed there anyway!" The middle soldier shouted.

"America doesn't welcome enemies!"

"ALRIGHT, THAT"S ENOUGH!" A yell was heard across the mess hall and to everyone's surprise, it was the commander of Derek's tank crew, accompanied by General Wilson and the rest of the tank crew.

"I am shocked, this is not the kind of behavior that American soldiers should exhibit towards their own allies!" General Wilson was dismayed at the treatment of Derek and the girls at the hands of three hostile soldiers.

"Sir, these girls and and our so called soldier are Japs and Japs supporters, who happened to be our enemies on the other side of the ocean! To treat them like they are one of us means that we are giving them our secrets and, therefore, we want them thrown out!" The tall soldier confessed his group's actions shamelessly.

"You can't judge a book by its cover. They maybe Japanese girls, but what I've seen during their training far contradicts what makes them out enemy. The fact that they have made it this far in training means that they are willing to fight for us and we must treat them with respect as U.S. Military protocol dictates." The tank commander reminded.

"Screw protocol! I am not giving a salute to a group of Jap girls!" The middle soldier yelled.

"Agreed! This goes against what the U.S. Army stands for!" The last soldier added.

"Why don't the three of you shut the fuck up!?" The driver, who appears to be not much older than Derek, yelled.

"We've been checking on them ever since our bow gunner here got assigned to care for them and the girls have shown no sign of hostility or hints of loyalty towards our enemy! In fact, I find these girls brave, because despite the hostility, unlike you, they don't let pride or cowardice get in the way of their objectives! They have learned some English, trained with American guns and obstacles and have even saluted our dead, every time a body of ours comes through the gates! Ain't no way these girls are our enemies!"

"I cannot believe that there are those who defend these girls! Being a Jap is in their blood no matter what side they are on or how they were raise! I don't care if these girls came from the future where Japan is our friend, because they are our enemies right now!" The tall soldier continues his rant.

'Which is precisely why we need these girls to make sure that nothing changes. We must win the war and who better to give us what we need than those from the future?" General Wilson said.

"I don't care! We ain't sittin with no fuckin Japs!" The middle soldier continued.

The loader then approaches to Derek's defense, much to everyone's surprise considering his hostile behavior from when the girls were first introduced.

"You know, I was like the three of you when I first met the girls. A Jap-hatin ass who only believed that a good Jap is a dead Jap. However, after seeing these girls perform so diligently, obeying every order and their willingness to learn the American way, it got me thinkin that we might have misjudged them. Even after the way I treated them, these girls still show respect the way that any U.S. soldier would. With our gunner by their side, there is no way in hell I will let you do whatever you want."

"And for causing such a scene, the three of you will not only have clean up duty for the next couple of weeks, I am transferring you to another unit to prevent such incident from happening again!" Wilson added.

"What!? Why the fuck are we the ones being punished!? We have been serving faithfully in the military ever since the war started and yet we are going to get kicked out just because of some Jap girls who claimed to be from the future!?" The middle soldier complained.

The general begins to explain. "Actually, you three had a couple of violations of drinking and there were numerous complaints of your disrespectful behavior even toward members of your own units as well as the civilians during your stay in the UK! Such behavior is intolerable during the times of war so I am having you transferred immediately! Pack your bags and get out of our fuckin base!"

"Tch! Fuck you!" The three soldiers scoffed and prepare to leave.

However, before they leave the tent, the tall soldier took another look at Derek and the girls with great hostility. Before anyone noticed, the soldier jumped towards Derek and the girls in an attempt to attack, only to be restrained by Derek's tank crew.

"GET THE FUCK OUT RIGHT NOW!" General Wilson yelled out of frustration.

After the three rude soldiers were taken out, the tank crew, as well as Wilson, turn their attention towards everyone else, who had their attention towards the incident that just occurred.

"Alright, I will say this one more time; these girls came from a time where Japan and the U.S. are great friends after we won the war. Just because the two countries are enemies at this time, this doesn't automatically make them enemies. We all hope for the war to end soon, which means these girls play a vital role. Not only have they agreed to help, but they have already dedicated themselves to risk their lives to serve with us just for the chance to go home like everyone else here and have been made into U.S. soldiers as a result. Therefore, Japanese or not, as U.S. Military protocol dictates, we treat them as our own. Is that understood!?"

"SIR YES SIR!" Everyone in the mess hall shouted while holding a salute.

After making everyone swear to treat the girls respectfully, both Wilson and the tank crew left with the former looking back at Derek.

"Get yourself cleaned up Private Turner, you've done a good job today protecting them." Wilson told Derek before leaving.

Miho then turns to Derek with an apologetic look over his humiliation.

"I am sorry Derek." Miho said in English.

"Don't worry about it. Those guys already got what they deserve. I am just glad that all of you are okay." Derek responded before turning his attention back to his food.

With the incident settled, Miho helps Derek cleaned up the coffee spilled on him with her handkerchief she took out of her pocket and the group finished their meals peacefully, despite the discomfort they experienced earlier. The girls then continued their English lessons then move towards the last stage of their training for the day.

* * *

A couple of hours later...

The group then heads back to their respective tents after the girls were done showering. Much to their surprise, the loader stands in front of them and turns his attention towards them as soon as they are in his line of sight.

"Hey." That was all that came out of him.

"Logan? What are you doing in front of the girls' tents all of a sudden!?" Derek asked.

"Nothing much." Logan then turns his attention towards the girls. "I just wanted to say good job earlier, that's all."

The loader then salutes the girls, which they salute back out of respect. The sudden change in Logan's behavior earlier and now surprised both Derek and the girls, as he had the most hostility towards them during their first meeting. Logan then turns back towards Derek.

"I will be watching you. You make sure to train them good, alright? I don't want no weaklings next to us in battle."

Derek smiled and nodded before giving a salute. "You got it."

Satisfied with Derek's response, Logan salutes his comrade before leaving. The girls then head back to the tent and rest.

"Well, it seems among all of that hatred the army has towards you girls, there are some that you managed to win over." Derek commented.

Miho smiled. "Yes, I am glad that we finally have somebody who is willing to trust us. I got so angry over how those soldiers were treating you earlier in the mess hall!"

"I already told you not to worry about it. I figured that if I let them have their way, someone will eventually stand up since many of the soldiers still respect me."

"Yes, but it was because of us you still got treated that way. We can't help, but think that this is our fault as well." Hana still feels guilty over the incident.

"Argh! I still feel so frustrated over how we are treat just because we are girls and are Japanese!" Saori vented some of her anger out.

Yukari also felt guilty, but due to her lack of experience in dealing with conflicts, she remained silent.

"This is America's racism at its peak..." Mako commented.

"It's fine. All of you need to stop thinking about it. It's true that America's racist attitude were at its highest during the war, but even then, not everyone is like that, especially once they get to know the minorities, like my team. They are finally learning that they need us just as much as we need them. We must meet their expectations to gain more of their trust and understanding before we can truly fight alongside them. We must not dwell in the past or they might hinder us. Instead, we must focus on the future and what it might bring so we must do our best tomorrow. You girls understand?"

The Anglerfish Team looked at each other before turning back to Derek and nodded.

"HAI!" The girls shouted before giving their salute towards their instructor.

"Good. Now get some rest." Derek then leaves the tent as the girls get ready for bed.

* * *

At midnight...

Miho finds herself unable to sleep and heads out for some fresh air, only to find Derek sitting at where she is heading.

"Couldn't sleep?" Miho calls out to Derek.

"Not really. I kinda like how the night sky is looking tonight. What about you Miho?"

"With everything that happened just now, how could I sleep? I think I might be up for the same reason as you."

Knowing that Miho has more she wants to say, Derek pushes her a little. "Are you sure that is all?"

"Well, to be honest, I am not quite sure about everything. Just a week ago, we were only students who does tankery as a sport rather than for battles. Even now, I don't think any of us are still quite used to the situation."

"Heh. Miho, I've been here far longer than you girls and even I am still not fully used to my situation despite having combat experience. I maybe hardened, but one thing I still cannot fully get over is seeing piles of dead bodies right in front of me every time a battle ends and don't even have time to mourn for them out of fear of an ambush by enemy soldiers. I sometimes have nightmares of reliving those memories so I would come out of my tent just to relax, that's why I am still willing to fight. It was only though my tank crew have I finally man up for them, even though they were rough around the edges. Miho, protect your friends even if it might cost you your opportunity to go home or even your life. Nothing is more important than the people you are with, I know that now after losing several people in my team."

Miho nodded. "I understand. I wouldn't want to go home without my friends either. It would be hard for both of us if we manage to survive and return alone."

"Except that I was forced to come alone. Never did have a companion with me when I arrived here so it was difficult for me to communicate with everyone at first with them accusing me of lying about when I am from and my knowledge of WWII history. Only after completing several operations using my suggestions did they finally have trust in me. Even so, I still pray for their survival."

"Yeah, and now we are the same. However, I still wonder how we were transported here in the first place."

Suspicion suddenly hits Derek. "I got a feeling that we were not the only ones transported here."

"If we are winning, we will find out eventually." Miho smiled.

"Miho, even though I never wanted anyone else to come here, I am kind of glad that there is someone here I can relate to."

"Me too. If it wasn't for you, we probably would have been taken prisoner or even worse, killed, without figuring anything else. Thank you for defending us back there."

"No problem. It is my job to care for you girls after all. Anyway, time to get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow."

"HAI!" With Derek and Miho relaxed, both then returned to their respective tents.

* * *

The next day...

As Derek and the girls head for shooting practice, they were stopped by Derek's tank crew. The commander moves ahead and give the group a salute, which they reciprocated.

"Morning Derek, Miho, Mako, Hana, Yukari, and last, but not least Saori. I realized that over the past few days we haven't properly introduced ourselves so I think now is a good time. I am Staff Sergeant Frederick Homel, the commander of this crew."

Homel then points to the loader. "This soldier here, which I am sure all of you had met already, is our loader and Private First Class, Logan "Snake" Caulfield. The reason why he is called the "Snake" is because of his silver tongue, meaning that he knows how to get the people he don't like on their bad side."

Homel then points to his tank driver. "He is Corporal John "Bomb" Danson. He has been nicknamed the "Bomb", because of his temper towards things he dislike. You will never know when he will explode."

Finally, Homel introduces the final member. "He is both our gunner and T/5 technician, Jack "Looker" Grayston. He is nicknamed the "Looker", because he manages to discover enemy tanks on the battlefield earlier than any members of our platoon. We are here, because from now on, your training will not only be supervised by our assistant driver and bow gunner, but also by us from now on. Your tank will soon be ready for battle and we want to make sure that all members of our platoon are fit and ready."

Although taken by surprise of the tank crew's offer for assistance, the girls nodded, with Derek, having already accepted due to his bond with all members of the crew.

"You've already shown your dedication! Now we want results! You girls understood!?" Danson asked.

"SIR YES SIR!" The girls yelled in English while giving a salute.

"Good! Let's begin!"

For the next few weeks, Derek's tank crew begins assisting the Anglerfish Team in their training and language learning. Despite Mako's disadvantages due to her low blood sugar and blood pressure, she tries her best to keep up and even exceeded expectations, earning further respect from her instructors. As the girls get more used to the training and environment, they gain more confidence and determination as a result. However, they knew the girls will have to get involved in battle sooner or later so the crew made sure they do as much as they can as they don't know when they will suddenly be called for a mission. They were right, after reports of victory in the Battle of Aachan and Battle of Metz, Homel's platoon were ordered to go to the city of Aachen to assist the 1st and 30th Infantry Divisions to deal with the 506th Tank Battalion and the 108th Tank Brigade. Unlike history, this time, the girls not only get their tank back, but it has been redecorated to look like an actual Panzer IV from Nazi Germany for stealth missions labeled with a star mark to make sure American tanks don't mistaken it as an enemy tank. Their ammunition has been replaced with those from confiscated Panzer IVs during the war. However, the fact that they would eventually have to drive separately from the tank line to prevent suspicion from the Nazis, made the girls feel uncomfortable, but the tank crew assures them that they will be watched carefully. With the preparations already made, the platoon then heads to Aachen, Germany.

* * *

 **Finally, another chapter done. Sorry for being slow, I have been overseas in Japan and Taiwan and internet doesn't always work best in several areas of each country. Anyway, I know that there might be inaccuracies over how Americans would have treat the girls, but following that accuracy would have made their situation hopeless. I also know that I might get some facts incorrect over the dates and what missions the characters have to take, but history has already changed after all. Now you know from Derek's brief conversation with Miho that there might be someone behind their situation and why history has changed so much. I don't know when the next chapter will be released, but this will probably be my last chapter before I make this an M-rated story due to the violence and gore that will be presented. Anyway, for now, enjoy.**


	4. Fear and Reluctance

A platoon consisting of nine Sherman tanks and one re-modified Panzer IV begins heading out to Aachen, Germany from the south in order to face the army of Nazi Germany. According to history, the German defenders of Aachen numbered between 18,000 to 20,000 soldiers and around 11 tanks, which includes the Tiger I. Knowing how much history has changed, Derek cannot completely rely on the normal history of World War II and offers a different strategy than the one used in the original battle after finding out that Aachen had more anti-aircraft batteries than what the city originally had.

"Alright, as you know, those Nazi scum have brought more of those AAs than originally expected so we can't rely on air support to take out their pillboxes and strongpoints. With most of them located closer to the side of the German border, our platoon will create an ambush from the south using the girls' Panzer IV. We will remain in hiding until our Panzer draws out their defenses to our side as bait. This will weaken the German defense in the north, allowing the second platoon to come and attack those AAs to allow our planes to blow those fuckin Nazis out of the city. Once Aachen is under our occupation, it will act as our base for the invasion of Germany. Everyone understand?" Staff Sergeant Homel asked from his M4A2 Sherman tank.

"Yes sir!" Everyone in the platoon responded.

The Anglerfish team was assigned a young Technician fourth grade named Daniel Douglas to accompany them inside of their tank due to their need for a translator in order to lure the German's main defenses to the south and Douglas is multilingual; being able to speak German and Spanish in addition to his native English. To prepare for the trap, Douglas was dressed as a Nazi soldier, whose uniform was confiscated from a German POW and the tank was given a swastika symbol on its surface, much to the girls' dismay out of fear that they maybe mistaken for the enemy from the Allied forces as well as the negative feelings of being a Nazi.

Douglas notices that that the girls are not in a good mood. "Hmm, are you girls troubled by something?"

"Not really, its just that we don't really have good feelings about making our tank look like our enemy. It just feels wrong to us." Miho explained.

"I know, this is the first time the U.S. Army would use deceit in a tank battle. However, at this point in the war, we are more than willing to try anything at hand. Heck, I remembered disguising myself as one of those fuckin Nazis before to infiltrate a POW camp and luck happens to be on our side when our team was able to rescue 50 of our POWs at the cost of two of our own."

The girls become slightly disturbed by the fact that the loss of two men was considered lucky despite the successful rescue. Seeing this, Douglas decides to explain his opinion.

"I see in your faces that I take death of our troops lightly. Let me tell you that I don't, but when you are at war, you expect death no matter what, so only losing two out of hundreds or thousands is considered a miracle. Trust me, we all would have preferred if there were no casualties at all, but this is reality."

The girls decide not to continue the conversation any further as they feel that the contrast between their beliefs and reality will eventually overwhelmed them after listening to Douglas. Miho picks up the communicator and contacts Derek's tank crew, who are right in front of them.

"Sergeant Homel, how long till our destination?"

[Based on our speed and length, I would say within an hour! By the way, the Nazis will be expecting us so keep watch from your hatches and alert us if you spot any enemy troops!]

"Yes sir! Miho out!"

As Miho looks out at her tank, she can see German refugees walking towards the Allied lines having a look that looks like their souls have been taken from their bodies. Hana then spotted a pile of dead horses being torn apart for their rotting meat by the starving refugees and looks away out of disgust. The horrid smell and sight of rotting corpses of both soldiers and animals fill the air, sometimes causing the girls to get overwhelmed, forcing them back inside of the tank for brief periods to cope with their ordeal.

"If you think this is too much right now, just wait until you go to battle."

The girls' communicator picked up a signal, which Miho answers.

"Hello?"

[You girls doing okay?]

Derek's voice was heard from the other line.

"Somehow, although our translator warned us that it is going to get much worse when we battle."

[What Douglas said is no exaggeration. It took me a while to harden up after my first battle. Even now I still cannot get it out of my head.]

Miho starts becoming more afraid of heading to her first battle as Derek continues. "Um Derek, that's enough now."

Noticing what he just did, Derek immediately regrets what he said to Miho.

[Oh sorry! Just so you know, we will be taking care of most of the firing and shooting! You just need to get the enemy tanks into vulnerable positions!]

"Understood." Miho still sounds unsure, knowing that they will have to eventually start killing just to survive.

Fifteen minutes have passed since Miho's last contact with Homel's tank crew and just as the girls are beginning to relax a bit, a loud explosion was heard, causing them to jump.

"What was that!?" Miho yelled.

Hana looks through the tank's opening in the front and sees smoke coming from the northwest of their position. Just then, their radio is receiving another call, which Saori picked up this time as Miho is keeping watch. This time, Homel is the one speaking to the girls.

[We've just received a distress call from a regiment team of the US First Army! Apparently an ambush was made over the smoking village over there, attacking the tank column sent to patrol! Our orders have been changed to free the trap regiment and expel enemy forces from the village!]

"Understood! We will follow you on route to the village!" Miho responded.

[Anglerfish, you and your tank are to stay put outside of the town for the tank column we are trying to rescue might mistaken you for the enemy! You are to wait there until further orders! Understood!?]

Miho becomes hesitant, but decided to obey the order nonetheless.

"Understood, Miho out"

"Hmm? So we are not going to take part in rescuing the soldiers from the village?" Hana asked.

"The tank column they are trying to rescue might shoot us on sight since we currently ride what was suppose to be an enemy tank at this time. I guess it's better to wait out here than to make an unnecessary risk."

"Good decision. If I were one of them and spotted you coming into the town, I would probably shoot." The girls' translator added, much to their annoyance.

"Not helping!" Saori complained.

With the platoon not willing to risk a possible mix-up, the girls were forced to stay outside of the village until after the fighting is finished. Secretly, the girls were relieved that they didn't have to do any fighting at the moment as the rest of the tank platoon moved into the town. This feeling is reinforced as they hear shells exploding all over the place, very much unlike the Sensha-dō where they only hear shells clang against the tank and only minor explosions added for effect. However, the girls were dismayed by the smell of cigarettes due to their translator having a smoke and were about to open the hatch to let some air in until they heard Douglas suddenly yelling at them.

"Hey! What are you girls trying to do!? You are going to blow our fuckin cover!"

"We can't take the smoke!" Miho yelled.

"Well you better get used to it! Our boys need to be smokin after a day of killing Nazis!"

The girls were forced to bear it for another twenty minutes until their coughing irritated Douglas enough that he decided to give the girls a break by opening the top hatch and keep watch.

"You better not be complaining about me smoking now that the hatch is open! I am going to keep watch so if you girls receive any further orders, let me know."

"Will do! Thanks!" Miho and the girls breath a side of relief as fresh air came into the tank.

After about half an hour, Homel's voice was heard through the radio, which Miho picked up.

[A-Anglerfish! Anglerfish, are you there?]

"Yes, this is Miho of Anglerfish awaiting further orders!"

[Some of the Nazi infantry are retreating to your direction! We can't leave any witnesses of your team! Shoot on sight!]

Miho becomes silent briefly before responding. "Understood! Miho out!"

Miho then turns to Hana. "Load the gun. We are ordered to shoot down any retreating Nazi soldiers heading to our position."

"Hai!" Hana responded as she set up her gun.

Miho then opens the top hatch and sees Douglas still smoking outside of the tank. "Douglas, enemy soldiers are heading to our position! We are ordered to shoot on sight so get back inside the tank!"

"Looks like I finally get to see some action again." Douglas loads his M1 Garand before heading back inside.

Miho then gets to the Browning M2HB machine gun, which was added as part of the modifications to weaponize the tank, on top of the Panzer and loads 50 caliber rounds into the gun. With no experience of actually taking a life, Hana and Miho felt unsure whether they could actually pull the trigger on a human being, especially those that are running away, resulting in both girls having trouble putting their finger on to the trigger.

"Nishizumi-san, soldiers are spotted retreating to our position!" Hana shouted in Japanese as she sees about a couple dozen enemy soldiers retreating.

"What did you say!?" Douglas shows no understanding.

"Enemy soldiers are coming this way!" Miho answered.

Douglas became excited. "Alright then, get ready to shoot their fuckin heads off!"

That shout made Miho and Hana more hesitant to fire, even though they understand that their cover will be blown if any of the soldiers are allowed to leave. As the retreating Nazi soldiers came closer, they spotted the girls' Panzer tank, assuming that the tank is theirs and head towards their direction while shouting in German.

"Retreat! Retreat! The Americans have overrun the town! We've got wounded among us!"

Douglas, the only one who understands their shouts, shows no concern compared to the girls. "You girls better fire before they reach us."

As the soldiers get closer, the girls trembled and find themselves unable to shoot the retreating enemy soldiers, much to their translator's annoyance.

"What are you waiting for!? Why aren't the two of you fuckin shooting!?" Douglas yelled.

"I-I can't..." Miho stuttered.

Knowing that letting the Nazis near the tank is not an option, Douglas rushed back to the top hatch and holds Miho's hands tightly to the gun to make sure she doesn't let go.

"You better start shooting if you know what is good for you!"

At this point, Miho looks like she at her breaking point. "I can't shoot! I don't want to take a life!"

Douglas becomes more irritated over Miho and Hana's fear of taking a life. "Well those lives you want to spare will take yours if you don't shoot, so shoot! You too Hana!"

Seeing that both of them are unwilling to shoot out of fear he forces Miho to pull the trigger by forcefully pushing down Miho's finger with his own. Just as the retreating soldiers saw that a girl is operating a machine gun on the Panzer, they were met with a spray of bullets and the first line of soldiers were immediately gunned down. Unable to release the gun thanks to Douglas, Miho and the girls watched in horror as soldiers fell one after another. Some got shot down with less gruesomely with just a hole in one part of the body, while others died in a more horrifying way as shots to the head causes their brain and blood to splatter all over the field. Several limbs were seen flying off of their bodies, causing some to go into shock and dies of blood loss. Some soldiers trying to get away from the gun fire were seen stepping on to the corpses of their comrades before they themselves were shot on the back. With all of the retreating soldiers dead, Douglas released his grip on Miho as he chastised her and the girls for their reluctance to kill.

"I am trying so fuckin hard not to see you as an enemy under Homel's orders! If you don't help us win the war, then you girls will never be able to go home!"

Douglas heads back outside of tank to smoke out of irritation as the traumatized Miho continues to stare at the area around them, which is now filled with shredded corpses of Nazi soldiers. The Anglerfish team waited another twenty minutes in silence until their radio picked up a transmission from Homel.

[The town has been secured. You are free to move in.]

"Roger that. Miho out." Miho hesitantly responded back as she orders Mako to get the tank moving. Once they reached the rest of the tank platoon, the girls found out that Homel and his tank crew were waiting for them as the others begin to take a rest or meet up with members of the trapped tank column they rescued.

* * *

In the town...

"I take it that you girls were able to take care of the retreating Nazi scum?" Homel asked after seeing that the girls have become silent.

"No thanks to them!" Douglas said as he got off of the girls' tank.

"These girls refused to fire a single shot out of their guns so I had to force Miho's hand into the trigger and do the job myself! They could have blown our cover had I not intervene!" Douglas explained after throwing away his cigarette into the ground.

Homel becomes silent himself, but the girls can tell that he anger is building up inside of him as they mentally prepared themselves for a scolding. However, a call from another soldier broke the silence first.

"Sir, we've captured a Nazi attempting to escape the alleyway a couple of buildings to the left! Judging by the uniform and insignia, he might be part of the Waffen-SS!"

Homel turns to the captured enemy soldier and saw that he is indeed part of the SS. He then smiles before turning his attention back to the girls.

"This will be a good demonstration." Homel then points at Hana.

"You are the gunner of the Anglerfish, correct?"

Hana nodded before being dragged by Homel towards the soldier in charge of the prisoner. "Now before we get started, do you mind telling me the crimes he alone is responsible for?"

"We don't have the full details, but some civilians we talked to said that they heard gunshots coming from the neighbors' houses and that he and several of the other Nazis were the only ones who comes outside of each house once the gunfire stops. I think its safe to assume that he is a war criminal." The soldier responded.

Homel then turns to Hana. "You hear that!? That enemy soldier over there is part of the SS! They have done numerous atrocities and have taken many innocent lives, more so than what you heard from him just now! I think you know what an appropriate sentence for him would be!"

The enemy soldier could only watch in fear as Homel point to Hana's gun, telling her to shoot him with it. Seeing that there is no way out for her, Hana hesitantly reached for pistol and aims at the prisoner while trembling.

"Good good! You know what the next step is! Give him what he deserves!"

Although Hana knows the soldier deserved to die for the atrocities he committed or took part in, she hesitates as it doesn't feel right for her to shoot a defenseless prisoner. In the end, her fear gave in and she lowers her pistol, much to Homel's annoyance.

"Why did you hesitate? I told you to shoot! That's an order!"

"He is a defenseless prisoner now. It would be wrong to shoot him in this state, even though he probably deserves it." Hana attempts to explain to Homel to no avail.

"Give it up Sgt. Homel, you will never get a Jap to shoot one of their allies! After all, Japan and Germany are brothers-in-arms! Hahaha!" One soldier mockingly laughs at Hana, which Homel ignored and attempts to convince her one more time.

"Even if he is sent to court for his crimes, the sentence would be the same! I understand that prisoners are different from soldiers that retreated, but if you and the girls keep holding this pacifist mindset of yours, not only will your cover will be blown, more lives will be lost and you will lose your only way home! You can't expect to be in a war and not take lives, especially as a soldier! Now do it!"

Hana hesitantly lifts her pistol up and again aims at the scared prisoner, but delays the order to shoot. Seeing her pacifist nature taking over again, Homel did a similar act to Hana as Douglas did to Miho, grabbing her hand and pushed her finger into the trigger, killing the prisoner instantly. After Homel releases her, Hana drops the gun, traumatized by the ordeal.

"You will never be able to survive if you keep this up! You want to win the war, you need to learn to shoot and kill!" Homel then left without saying another word.

Derek, who saw the whole thing, could do nothing at the moment knowing that the girls needed to be hardened if they ever hope to survive, much less find their way home. With the town occupied, the tank platoon decided to take a brief rest stop, allowing the girls some time to collect themselves before heading out to battle again. All members of the Anglerfish team are gathered together, remaining silent due to their earlier ordeal. Wanting to ease their trauma, Derek approaches the girls.

"I know that you all feel a bit unsure after everything that just happen, but with that guy gone, you girls may have saved a lot more innocent lives than you know."

"Maybe, but to actually take a life for the first time...I just don't know...It was horrifying!" Hana trembled.

"I understand. I was very similar to you girls when I first took a life. Those feelings aren't easy to deal with, but if you can't at least fight back, the Nazis won't hesitate to take your lives away. Also please don't let Sgt. Homel's words get to you. He cares about us more than you know, which is why he did what he did. I am pretty sure that he and Douglas did that in order to make sure you can protect your own lives. There will be moments where we can't always be there for you."

The girls, while they understood what Derek said, remained silent as the idea of taking human lives using the very tank they used for sport haven't sunk in yet. Miho, who trusts Derek the most, moves her trembling right hand closer to him. Knowing what Miho is hinting, the young bow gunner gently holds her hand to help her calm down. The silence remains until Homel suddenly approaches them, causing all of them to immediately turn their heads towards the staff sergeant.

"At ease, I only came to check if you girls are okay." Homel began talking in a more soft-spoken voice.

Homel then turns to Derek and saw that he is holding hands with Miho. "Derek, please make sure these girls get something to eat before we move out. Understand?"

Derek nodded in response before Homel leaves the girls for the rest of the break. Derek then turns around to see the girls a little surprised to see the staff sergeant's more caring side after what happened, further proving that he does care for those under his command. Having recovered a little, the girls decide to take out some of their rations with Mako immediately drinking her juice after she started to feel a little dizzy. Derek watches as the girls are still recovering with hope that Homel's lesson will stick to them, despite his own disdain for taking lives. However, he still shows concern over the altered history and how different they will be if they are able to get home and is briefly lost in his train of thought.

 _"Even now, there are still no true answers to what could have caused history to become distorted. Whatever it is, I hope that once that is fixed, we will all be one step closer to home."_

* * *

30 minutes later...

The Anglerfish team were sent by Homel to discuss the ongoing plan for the battle going to take place in Aachen. Compared to the earlier battle, the girls will be more involved this time using their Panzer IV. With the girls moving the tank behind enemy lines from the opposite direction while being watched by two Sherman tank crews as look out from afar, Douglas will trick the defenders into moving their forces to the opposite side of town, weakening the frontal defenses to allow U.S. forces to attack from behind. To ensure this plan works, the two Shermans watching the Anglerfish team will launch covering fire, which would also allow the girls to get out of the battlefield as the Americans move in, which creates a false pincer like movement. With the plan settled, the team prepares to move out. However, before the girls are able to head back to their tank, one of the soldiers next to them was suddenly shot dead with blood suddenly squirting out from his helmet.

"Ambush! Find cover!"

All of the U.S. soldiers present in the area are soon scattered in an attempt to find cover, yelling at the civilians to head indoors for their own protection.

"What the fuck!? I thought we already cleared this town from those scum!" A random soldier complained.

"Sniper! Does anyone have eyes on him!?" Homel yelled while hiding behind his Sherman. As Saori, Miho, Yukari, Mako rushed back inside the tank, Hana spotted a shine reflected off of the building around three to five long blocks away. Realizing that it was the sniper, Hana instinctively took an M1 Garand from a dead comrade and marched closer unseen, using the other buildings as cover. As soon as she is close enough, she aims the rifle at the sniper, but became unsure yet again whether or not to shoot.

"I can do this. I can do this." Hana silently mutters to herself.

As her hand trembles, she suddenly heard the loud noise of sniper fire, seeing the gun aimed at the U.S. position. Finally realizing that her reluctance might cause her friends to get killed, she finally fires the rifle willingly, causing the bullet to go through the sniper's jaw and his brain, killing him instantly. Seeing the result, Hana took a deep breath and shook off the trauma before heading back.

"I don't hear anymore gunfire. Come out, but remain alert."

Unable to hear anymore sniper fire, the Americans as well as the Anglerfish slowly came out of their cover only to see Hana walking back towards them while holding the M1 Garand. She then approaches Homel and holds the rifle in front of him intending to give it back.

"It is done. Your forces are no longer in danger." Hana told Homel.

The staff sergeant was surprised to see that Hana was the one who took care of the sniper and nodded out of respect before taking back the rifle.

"We will have a rifle issued to you before we move. Anyway, good job." Homel said before leaving.

As soon as he left, Hana then turns back to her surprised friends before heading back inside the Panzer IV in order to prepare for the next battle.

* * *

 **Finally, it is done. Sorry I haven't written any fanfics for a while, but since graduating college, I got worried about jobs, volunteering, and everything that I decided to put writing stories aside since it is too time-consuming. I am not going to guarantee another chapter of any of my ongoing stories so soon because of that, but I still come back to fanfiction here and there and will write another if I find the inspiration. I know that Hana and Miho are the only girls that got lines of dialogue in this chapter due to the fact that Hana is the gunner and Miho is the leader of the team not used to the nature of war, but the next chapter will have all the girls talking when I get to it. Anyway, this chapter was directly inspired by the movie, Fury, and is the first chapter that makes my story rated M due to gore and foul language. Hope you enjoy.**


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